True Love Through Haircare
by Hypnotoad76
Summary: Annie discovers Jeff loves her from the most trivial of gestures. Inspired by a line from Remedial Chaos Theory.


This one shot is told from Annie's point of view, and was inspired by the conversation Troy and Britta had about Jeff in the bathroom in Remedial Chaos Theory

I've always believed that there is a moment in a relationship when you truly feel that the two of you are in love with each other. While there is nothing wrong with saying 'I love you' to each other, simply saying the words isn't enough for me to truly believe that two people are in love. I need some physical gesture and proof to truly prove it. It really goes back to my parents before they divorced. When they were together I would see them say 'I love you' to each other. But from their actions (both of them barely speaking during dinner, my mother always turning her head to the side when my father tried to kiss her) it was evident even to a small child that they were not in love with each other. So when Jeff and I became a couple I waited for some physical sign to show that he truly loved me.

What's funny is that the sign that showed he truly loved me was when he let me borrow some shampoo.

To truly understand the significance of this action there are two things that much be understood about Jeff Winder. 1), He is extremely guarded about himself. And 2), He has an obsession with his physical appearance that boarders on narcissistic.

The first time I spend the night at his place I went into his bathroom the next morning and noticed he didn't have any toiletries lying around, like a hair dryer or shampoo or a razor or anything except for hand soap. When I asked him about it he said he kept all that stuff in a safe under his sink. While I thought it was weird I didn't press him about it.

Britta thought it was a much bigger deal when I brought it up with her. "Annie" she said. "This is much more then Jeff simply being protective about his hair gel. This is about him being unable to let people in. That safe is a symbolic example of him cutting himself off from people. If you want this to work you have to demand that he let you in and open that safe. Oh, we can break into it together. That way he knows he can't keep hiding behind the walls he's put up."

I told Britta that we shouldn't break into his personal property. That safe wasn't an example of his inability to let people in. It was just Jeff being quirky.

Deep down I knew Britta did have a point. It was hard for Jeff to truly open up, and that bathroom safe was a symbolic example of it. But I put the thought deep in the back of my head and just pretended it wasn't there anytime I was in that bathroom.

Cut to five months later. We had already gone past several relationship milestones during our time together. We had had sex, I had spent the night, he had cleaned out a drawer so I could leave some clothes over, I had left a toothbrush and other items I used to get ready in the morning in his bathroom, and we had said 'I love you' to each other. But I was still waiting for that tangible sign that showed that Jeff without a doubt loved me.

On this particular morning I got in the shower and squeezed my shampoo bottle, only to hear a hollow airy groan. I had ran out of shampoo. I stuck my head out of the shower curtain and yelled out "Jeff, can you bring me some dishwashing soap."

He opened the door just enough to stick his head through. "Why do you need dishwashing soap?"

"I ran out of shampoo and I need to wash my hair."

"Just use mine. It's in the safe under the sink. Combination's 27-17-07." And with that he closed the door and went on with getting ready.

I stood there staring at the door in complete shock. Jeff NEVER let ANYONE use his toiletries. Once when Shirley asked to use his mouthwash after we had all had pizza and garlic bread he told her they sold some at a 24 market around the corner. And anytime he opened his safe he made sure no one was around to see him do it. But now he not only was letting me use his shampoo, he had given me his safe combination without a moment's hesitation.

Suddenly a huge smile appeared on my face, to the point where my face started to hurt. This was exactly what I had been waiting for. Some undeniable proof that Jeff loved me. Britta has been right, that safe was about him keeping people out. And by letting me open it he was letting me into his heart in a way he had never let anyone else in before.

After my shower I went into the kitchen where Jeff was making coffee. I marched over to him and hugged him tightly before kissing him as hard as I could.

Jeff looked at me with a curious twinkle in his eye. "Not that I didn't enjoy that, but what's the occasion for the early morning affection?"

"You love me."

"Yea, I thought you were well aware of that fact."

I wrapped my arms around Jeff's waist and closed my eyes as I leaned against his chest. It didn't matter if he knew the significance of me borrowing his shampoo. All that mattered was at that moment I knew without a doubt that Jeff Winger loved me.


End file.
